N.Y. officials say new debris from World Trade Center will be searched for remains

SCOTT LITUCHY / THE STAR-LEDGERsIn a 2002 photo, grapplers lift the debris taken from the World Trade Center site at the Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island, NY.NEW YORK — New York City officials say they have gathered new debris from the World Trade Center site and will soon begin another round of sifting to uncover human remains.

Deputy Mayor Edward Skyler said today in a memo that 844 cubic yards of debris have been recovered since earlier sifting was completed in 2007. Anthropologists and others are expected to return to sifting in April and complete the work in about three months.

The new debris was uncovered as excavations and other work made new parts of the site accessible. Some areas had to be examined by the Environmental Protection Agency before they were judged safe.

The sifting will be done at the now-closed Fresh Kills landfill. So far, 1,772 potential human remains have been pulled from nearly 15,000 cubic yards of debris.